Enchanting Pixie
by SideshowJazz1
Summary: Based on the games and the TV show about Carmen Sandiego. Carmen's daughter, Racquel "Pixie" Sandiego is joining ACME, as her mother had before she became a criminal. She is drawn to a certain inventor, but will a certain redhead stand in her way?
1. Prologue: Mom

**AN: Hi! This story is based on the computer games about Carmen, NOT the TV show. Carmen's daughter is joining ACME headquarters, and a certain inventor is keeping her attention. Will a certain redhead stand in her way?**

"Hi."

A young woman with blonde hair streaked with pink cascading past her shoulders stood in front of the prison bars at ACME headquarters. She was trying to smile, though it was hard as she looked at the woman behind the bars. The woman was tall, with chocolate-brown hair. Although she wore prison uniform, it was unrecognizable underneath her scarlet coat. She also wore a wide-rimmed hat, exactly the colour of her coat. Her smirk made the girl feel intimidated.

"Racquel." she acknowledged, in a voice that was deep for a woman. "What are you doing here?" she asked calmly.

"It's _Pixie." _Racquel snapped. "You know I use my middle name. I like it a helluva lot more than my first name."

"Language." Carmen said calmly. "And you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

Pixie knew she shouldn't feel so intimidated, not here. But that smirk never failed to do it. It's what she was the last thing she would ever admit. Well, the second to last.

The thing she would never admit, the last thing she would want to admit, was that she was Pixie Sandiego, daughter of master criminal Carmen Sandiego. The woman she stood in front of right now.

"I just wanted to see you, Mom." she said now. "Can't a girl come and visit her mom when she's in prison?"

"Not with those pink streaks." Carmen answered. "You can't work against ACME with something that unique."

Pixie glared at her mother. "Mom, I'm not you. I'm me, and I'm not going to work against the law. Just because you turned against ACME when you were twenty doesn't mean I'm going to. Oh, and by the way, it's my twentieth birthday tomorrow."

Carmen smirked again. "Oh, sweetie, I can't get out of here for a shopping trip. They don't trust me."

"You _are _a criminal." Pixie pointed out. "And I'm not asking for a birthday present, anyway. And I'm _sure _you didn't forget it, like my other milestone birthdays, which you missed cause you were stealing something or bailing your idiot lackeys outta here. No, I came here to tell you about my new job and my flat."

Pixie hadn't had the best childhood. She'd found out that her birth had come about because of some one night stand Carmen had had, so she didn't know who her father was. Nine months later, she appeared, Racquel Pixie Sandiego. Carmen hadn't been the best mother in the world, either. Pixie didn't blame her for it, though-not when she was a child, anyway. Back then, Carmen had still been an ACME agent. It was only when Pixie was five years old when Carmen had gotten frustrated with the simplicity of the tasks and became a master criminal. But going all over the world left her hardly any time for motherhood. She did take Pixie with her if she was planning never to return to the last place, but if she wasn't, she arranged for one of her associates to take care of her young daughter, who'd started kindergarten by that time. Sadly, Carmen's associates had no parental skills at all. By the time Pixie was ten, she could look after herself fine, and didn't need someone around. But while Carmen didn't have any time to look after her daughter, she didn't want her stuck in care, when , and so kept leaving her in the care of an associate until Pixie turned sixteen, old enough to be left alone for days. Carmen just left her an Eftpos card with enough money on it for everything she needed. She'd also usually leave a note. "_Here's the card. Don't forget to get your hair done this month. Be back in a few weeks, love Mom xxx". _Pixie slowly began to become more of a rebel. She stopped going by Racquel and when Carmen got home that next time, her daughter informed her that she would now only answer to Pixie. She did get her hair done, having it bleached blonde, instead of the rich dark chocolate colour she'd inherited from Carmen. She'd added a few pink streaks, and started dressing in black, with net gloves, usually. When Carmen was around, Pixie didn't even acknowledge authority she had. "You're not around, mostly." she pointed out once. "So why should I act like you're my mom when you don't act like one?" That had sparked off an argument with Carmen, as a lot of her comments did.

However, it wasn't until Pixie's seventeenth birthday when she found out what her mom was up to all the time. She saw it via newspaper.

_Master Criminal Carmen Sandiego has been caught by ACME again! _the headline screamed. Pixie had looked at the picture, and knew her mom at one glance. It had always been her secret shame.

Now, at nineteen, Carmen was in jail again, and we need to get back to what's happening between her and Pixie.

"I've got a great flat, just around the corner from here." Pixie said. "It'll also be great for my new job-and my flatmates are so nice!"

"What is your job?" Carmen asked warily. The prison was right next to ACME headquarters.

"I'm an ACME agent." Pixie answered, just as warily. She knew of her mother's history, but swore she would never go against the law if she did quit her job.

Carmen shook her head, smirking. "You're too smart to do something like that." she said. "You'll wind up just like me, too bored to keep on with that, and follow in my footsteps."

Pixie smirked back. "I may be smart, Mom, but I have a lot else to do." she answered. "Apart from catching crooks, I have to let the agents know I'm not like you. I have a lot to do for as long as I carry the name Sandiego, so I won't get bored." She walked out of the prison, tossing a "Bye!" over her shoulder.

**I will do a lot of explaining, but I promise the story will kick in sometime next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 1: ACME Interaction

**I'm back! Some explanation, but some story. Thanks for reviews, green lion and aptasi.**

Pixie knew that some of the agents would be wary or even cold towards her. After a week, she already knew who to avoid and who to approach if she needed help. Most of the agents were part-time, sometimes chasing criminals around the world, or through time. The best thing about the job, she would admit to herself, is that some of the agents and the guides (called Good Guides) accepted her, and at least she was around, so the Chief obviously accepted her. Most of the agents were younger than her, though, which could frustrate her with their naivety. However, she had vowed not to end up like her mom, and just dealt with it. Some of the ones that had accepted her were her flatmates.

Rachel, the youngest at fifteen, had bunked off school and convinced the Chief that she was sixteen with a fake ID, which got her into ACME. She looked up to Pixie as an older sister figure, and Pixie found that a little annoying, since she didn't like being the good girl. She was a rebellious girl, even if it wasn't rebelling against the law. Rachel's rank was Investigator.

Janie, who was sixteen, had dropped out of school as soon as she could. She loved working at ACME, but sometimes got called out for listening to music and not paying attention while she was on missions. She always had the only Good Guide who noticed with her, Kim Yoonity, so she could stay focused. Janie nicknamed Pixie "Avril" due to her pink streaks, and they got along pretty well. Janie was still ranked as a Gumshoe.

Nineteen-year-old Sophie was one of the brightest agents. She and Pixie made a good team when they took on missions, and they hung out together most of the time, anyway. They didn't even need to have a Good Guide most of the time, but the Chief got them keeping in touch with one at ACME headquarters when they didn't send one with them. Sophie had already been working for six months and had reached the rank of Detective. (Pixie herself was a Gumshoe, but gained the rank of Sr Investigator after a month).

The Good Guides were all different in the way they reacted to Pixie. Some of them were professional, some of them were quite friendly, and others were downright cold. The youngest Good Guide, Polly Tix, was one of Pixie's least favourite Good Guides. She was the most cold towards Pixie, and if she had the chance to talk to Pixie, she would usually make a "like mother like daughter" implication that really hurt Pixie. Herman Nootix didn't speak to Pixie often, but he was only slightly friendlier than Polly, and could be worse when he was in a bad mood. Kim Yoonity tried to be professional, but Pixie sensed a bit of wariness when she was around. Rock Solid, Kim's nephew, was purely professional. He appeared to neither like nor dislike her. Likewise was Ann Tickwitee, who was a couple of years older than Pixie, and was completely professional in every situation, although she seemed in a better mood than Rock most of the time. Dee Plomassy was inbetween Ann and Rock, professional and sometimes in a good mood, sometimes not. Renee Santz was one of Pixie's favourite Good Guides. When she was Pixie's Good Guide, she'd always greet her with a friendly smile. Pixie saw her a bit like a mom figure, much more than Carmen ever was. But her very favourite Good Guide was Ivan Idea. He was the same age as her, and was always friendly. In fact, if he wasn't working at the same time as Pixie wasn't, he'd sometimes hang out with her.

The good news for Pixie was that a lot of her missions concerned inventions, Ivan's specialty. The bad news for her was that an equal amount of her missions concerned politics, Polly's specialty. For most of the missions, she and Sophie worked together, so they only had Good Guides via videophone. Sophie would usually let Pixie off and talk to Polly most.

After a fortnight of missions, the two girls were on another political mission when Sophie stopped doing that. "You should stop being so childish." she told Pixie. "Just talk to Polly. She's not gonna hurt you."

"Oh, yeah, and she would never imply that I'm exactly like my mom!" Pixie said sarcastically.

Sophie lowered her voice so the videophone's figure wouldn't hear her. "Just keep at it. I've known Polly for six months, since I started working here, and I know she'll come around if you talk to her. She'll respect you more if you face her." At that point, the girls weren't sure what to do.

Pixie took the videophone and looked at the redhead on the screen. "Polly, we really have no idea where to go next." she said. "Do you have any idea what we should do?"

Polly's expression was a little comtemptuous, the way it always was when she talked to Pixie. She gave a sigh. "Guess you won't be your mom's double in brains, huh?" she muttered, before giving advice in a bored tone.

That mission was a little humiliating for Pixie. She'd done all her training, and did what she knew to do to catch the criminal, but as they got her back, she recognized Pixie. "Racquel Sandiego!" she exclaimed. "Does your mom know you're working for ACME?"

Pixie scowled. "For a start, you have no right to ask that. Second, I go by Pixie. And third, yes, I've told Mom. Anyway, it's ACME prison for you, so if you don't believe me, you can ask her yourself." Pixie knew that Carmen was still in the ACME cell, serving her two-year sentence, but also knew that Carmen usually escaped within six months, so she was on her guard.

When they got back, Pixie had a little free time until her next mission, and the first person she saw was Ivan. He grinned at her. "Hey, Pixie." he greeted her. "Hard mission?"

Pixie sighed. "Doubly hard, considering my surname is Sandiego. My Good Guide hated me, and the criminal was one of Mom's lackeys and recognized me."

Ivan grinned sympathetically. "Oh well, all of ACME'll realize your intentions are legit soon enough. I have. Who was the Good Guide?"

"Polly." Pixie answered. "And I'm not sure she's ever going to stop making sneaky comments about my mom."

"Polly's OK." Ivan assured her. "It might take her a while, but she'll soon leave you alone. She's just had a few experiences with Carmen before." His cheeks suddenly became torches. "Forget I said that. I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"Who am I gonna tell?" Pixie asked. "I can keep a secret. Maybe it'll help me understand Polly better, and withstand a few more verbal attacks."

Ivan believed in Pixie's ability to keep a secret, and he knew that her logic was right. Besides, he knew that if she asked Carmen, she would probably tell her daughter. It was better that she heard it from someone unbiased.

"OK." he relented. "But don't tell anyone, especially not Polly or Carmen, and if you do, you didn't hear it from me. Got it?" Pixie nodded seriously, and Ivan began to tell her the story.

**You'll have to read the next chapter to find out about what happened between Polly and Carmen! Until next time, my readers!**


	3. Chapter 2: Polly and Carmen

**OK, here we are again, and everything I write about what Ivan tells Pixie is in italics, OK? OK. Oh, and I don't own Carmen or anything to do with ACME, with the exception of Pixie and her flatmates.**

"Well," Ivan began, "It all started before me or Polly joined ACME..."

_It was back when Polly was about nine, and I was eleven. We went to the same elementary, middle, and high school. Even then, Polly was famous for being talented throughout the whole school. Anyway, it had been about seven years since Carmen had turned on ACME. Anyway, all of the adult agents hadn't been able to catch Carmen. However, the Chief knew of Polly-her second cousin, I think-and asked her for help. I know it sounds crazy, sending a girl in fourth grade on a mission, but that was precisely why the Chief thought Carmen would be easily caught. She wouldn't expect a child to be persuing her. Of course, she had a Good Guide-someone who's quit now-but she did all the real work. Finally, she got to Carmen, and was ready to capture her. But somehow Carmen had heard they were sending a child after her. I'm not sure what happened, but Polly disappeared from school for two months, and when she came back, she seemed... tougher. She told me that she has sworn to lock up Carmen Sandiego for good. Something happened that time, and it has made her determined to get Carmen a life sentence. At the moment, it seems unlikely, but she's still determined to do it._

Pixie was staring as Ivan finished. "I would've been eleven. I think I remember hearing Mom say something to one of her 'friends' that she 'sent a little girl into a time vortex'. I'm pretty sure she would've been talking about Polly." she said. "Well, I'll try harder to put up with her. Anyway, I'm free for the rest of the day, so I'm going home. See you, Ivan!"

"I've got a mission to take on, anyway." Ivan answered. "Catch you later, Pixie!"

Pixie was happy to be good friends with Ivan, and felt dreamy. Janie immediately noticed when she got to the flat. They were the only ones home, with Rachel on another mission and Sophie out with one of her old school friends.

"Hey, Avril." she said slyly. "Am I seeing that you have a crush on someone? You're acting weird."

Pixie blushed. "No, I don't. Who would I crush on? I only see people at ACME, and apart from the Good Guides, I only hang out with Sophie."

"Oh, I don't know." teased Janie. "It could be Rock, or Herman...or Ivan." Pixie hoped she wasn't blushing. "Come on!" Janie said. "Who is it?"

"No one!" Pixie insisted. "Herman doesn't even like me at all and I barely even see Rock."

Janie pounced on what went unsaid. "So you like Ivan? I do see you talking sometimes!"

"We're just friends!" Pixie snapped. A sly smile came over her face. "Anyway, I see you watching that agent...Jon, was it? The one a year older than you?"

"Jacob!" corrected Janie, but immediately blushed magenta when she realized she had more or less admitted her crush. She sobered up, and Pixie was relieved to have the attention taken off her.

Rachel was the next to get home, babbling about her last mission. "My Good Guide wasn't helpful at ALL!" she wailed. "I wouldn't have completed the mission if I hadn't found scraps around-I don't know how it happened, but Carmen was the one sending notes, and she's still in the ACME jail-I checked!"

"Where was it? And who was your Good Guide?" Pixie asked, mildly amused.

"It was a time mission-1675 Spain." Rachel answered. "My good guide was Renee."

Pixie didn't hide her surprise. "Whenever Renee is my Good Guide, she's really helpful." she said. "All of them are pretty good...even though they're not always as nice as Renee, but she is REALLY helpful. She always helps me just enough so I still need to use my brain but it's not impossible." and then, annoyed with her flatmate's whining about the mission, "Do you own a brain, Rachel?"

The fifteen-year-old glared at her and said "What colour is my hair?"

"Brown," answered Pixie, puzzled.

"What colour is your hair?" Rachel continued.  
"Blonde. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Brunettes own better brains than blondes." Rachel said triumphantly.

"How do you figure that?" Pixie snapped.

"Because Glinda is blonde." Rachel grinned.

"Where'd you get that comment?" Pixie asked.

"Internet." Rachel muttered.

"Well, number one: Glinda isn't a real person." Pixie told her. "And number two: I'm naturally a brunette, not a blonde. My hair is bleached." Rachel knew when she was defeated and didn't answer.

Days went by. Missions continued. It finally came to a monthly visit that Pixie both dreaded and anticipated. The visit to see her imprisoned mom.

Carmen greeted her with a smirk. "Hello. So, tell me, are you bored of ACME work yet?"

Pixie scowled. "No, of course I'm not bored. I'm sure even you weren't bored of catching criminals at this time, when you were a Sr Investigator, one mission away from Detective."

Carmen's smirk didn't fade at all. "Maybe so. I thought you might be bored of those guides telling you what to do all the time. Since I was there, they've gotten _so _righteous. And bossy. That little girl with the short red hair especially."

"Polly Tix?" Pixie blurted out before realizing what she'd just said.

It seemed as if the shadows on Carmen's face grew darker. "Yes, that's her name, I remember now. So tell me, how are you finding her and the other guides? Her especially."

"Oh, OK, you know." Pixie bluffed, knowing that when Carmen looked that way, it meant trouble. "Not bad." She felt a little guilty for mentioning Polly's name. She reassured herself that it would be a long time before Carmen was out of jail and by then she would have forgotten this conversation. "Anyway, I just realized, gotta run. Missions and stuff. Bye, Mom." she said quickly, running out of ACME jail before Carmen could answer.

**Uh-oh! Pixie shouldn't have mentioned Polly's name to Carmen. So will Carmen break out of jail? What will happen? Review and I'll try not to pause the updates so much!**


	4. Chapter 3: Escape

**Next chapter. Read on!**

Pixie didn't really want to go into ACME the next day. Carmen's dark voice kept whispering in her mind. She kept right away from Polly, even more than usual. It just seemed as if with an innocent question spoken in a voice she knew meant danger, Carmen had scared her.

But Pixie was ready to go on a mission. This time, she was on her own, and she had Renee as her Good Guide. Someone had stolen a manuscript for something important in Greece, and with the ACME translator in hand and Renee via videophone, it looked like she'd be globe-hopping for a few days. The Chief set her a week to find the culprit.

All Pixie had to do was ask around each country for the suspect. They'd usually leave scraps behind them that suggested where they'd gone, and people could give info on what was happening.

Finally, Pixie was in Laos after six days of globe-hopping, and she had a warrant for a tall female with red hair, regular weight and a watch. In a flash of horror, she realized it was one of Carmen's 'friends' again.

She switched the video on before approaching her. "Renee, got the thief." she whispered.

"OK, we know where you are. Agents coming, hon. Just keep her in sight." Renee answered.

"Thanks." Pixie said, tracking the person carefully but subtly.

And five minutes later, a group of agents from the Laos branch of ACME caught the person. Pixie was promoted to Detective, and she half-anticipated, half-dreaded the challenges lying ahead of her.

Finally, a few of the agents began to become a little more trusting of the Sandiego girl. Some of the Good Guides became even slightly nicer, notably Rock. Pixie was happier, but she still was brightest at her flat.

Pixie began to enjoy the time missions the most. The world missions were just so tiring, being on aeroplanes all day.

One day, Janie came home full of excitement. "Guess what!" she squealed.

Pixie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"I've been promoted!" Janie said. "Isn't that brilliant?"

Sophie, who was also home, grinned at the sixteen-year-old. "Uh-huh, it's great. It's time you were better than a Gumshoe."

But then the day arrived that changed the routine for the worse: Carmen escaped.

It was immediately broadcast over the intercom. "Attention agents and Good Guides." the Chief's voice said. "Carmen Sandiego has escaped from ACME jail. Repeat, Carmen Sandiego has escaped from ACME jail. She has not committed any crimes yet, but be on the lookout for anything suspicious."

Pixie knew that Carmen escaped from prison within two months of incarceration, but it still worried her. Immediately people heard Carmen had escaped, people began to avoid Pixie, not knowing what to say to her. The more suspicious agents sent glares towards Pixie as she went for her next mission. A few Good Guides such as Herman and Kim, looked up at her coldly. Pixie was thankful that she didn't run into Polly, because she knew she would be the worst of all the agents and Good Guides.

Even Pixie's flatmates were awkward when she got home. Finally, Pixie sighed after hours, and said "I get it. Mom escaped. How does this relate to me non-genetically?"

Sophie finally met Pixie's eyes. "None of us think you had anything to do with it. It's just hard to know that your mom is causing ACME so much trouble."

"I know, I know." Pixie sighed. "It makes you guys suspicious of me, too."

Sophie, knowing it was true, sighed. "Maybe."

Pixie's next mission was in time.

"I understand that Carmen's escape may create difficulties for you, Detective Racquel." The Chief told her. Pixie wouldn't normally allow anyone to call her Racquel, but she didn't dare to correct her employer. "I know it may be hard, but giving up temporarily would just arouse the worst suspicions of agents, so I thought it would be best for you to start on another mission straightaway."

Pixie smiled. "I know. So what's the mission?"

"Well," the Chief said, "It's the helicopter designs that Leonardo Da Vinci made. They've been stolen, and he can't delay inventing the helicopter any longer. We don't know if it's Carmen this time, but there's a much larger chance that it may not be."

Pixie nodded. "OK. So is it solo?"

The Chief nodded. "Yes. You will have a videophone contact with your Good Guide as usual. Since it's to do with inventions, your Good Guide will be Ivan." Pixie nodded. When she heard the name of her favourite Good Guide, she felt something tense up. She didn't know why, though.

Pixie landed in the exact right time, as usual, with the Chronoskimmer's path, and immediately asked around. Then she immediately spotted part of a note and picked it up. It read "_I'm out, and I'm hiding out near my daughter's flat. So get the designs, and I've already told you where to hide out until the coast is clear._

"Isn't that part of a C-Note?" The videophone with Ivan on it exclaimed. Pixie grinned weakly. Ivan and the other Good Guides sometimes said C-Note instead of Carmen Note, but Ivan used it the most, and it felt like something happier, not as serious. Pixie liked Ivan's ever-light attitude, and she liked him for it.

"Yeah, I think so." Pixie told him. "It doesn't say anything that'll help, but I'd know my mom's handwriting anywhere." She wasn't going to mention that it said Carmen was near her flat.

"Still, there's gotta be more scraps around here somewhere." Ivan pointed out. Pixie nodded at the phone.

She found a few more scraps, which told her where Carmen's crony was hiding.

"Are the TimeCuffs activated?" Pixie asked.

Ivan pressed some buttons on something back at ACME. "Now they are."

"Thanks!" whispered Pixie, then shot out to the place the thief was hiding, wrenched the designs from her hand and put them back where they belonged, cuffed the crook, and got back to ACME.

"Enjoy your stint in ACME jail!" Pixie snarled, feeling more vicious because she was nervous since she'd heard where Carmen was.

"You may be able to outwit me, but you'll never be able to outwit the master criminal. The daughter cannot beat the mother!" The thief snapped back.

Immediately, Ivan had got all the machines bringing Pixie back.

"That was a harder-than-usual mission." he remarked. "But you seemed to get it done pretty easily. I barely had to help at all."

Pixie smiled at him. "But the help you did give was great." she said. "I probably would've been close alone, but close isn't enough." Suddenly, a question in her burst out. "Ivan...how come you're able to ignore the fact that I'm a Sandiego?"

Ivan shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard what happened with Carmen, and you've proven to be as smart as she is, but there's something about you that tells me that you won't end up like her. I mean, when I look at you, I see some of what I've seen from Carmen. You have, like, a similar smile, and face shape, but your eyes are totally sincere."

This was so sweet, that Pixie gave her friend a small hug, blushing immediately after. "Thanks." she said.

**Well, yeah, you can see the romantic side blooming already. But what's happening with Carmen? Review and tell me what you want more of! More of Carmen, more of Pixie's flatmates, more Ivan, more Polly, more other Good Guides – just tell me, and I'll put them in! Review, or I may not continue!**


	5. Chapter 4: Hideout

**Here I am, now enjoy this next chapter! Why hasn't anyone reviewed since the first chapter? :(**

Pixie was nervous when she arrived home. Rachel, Janie and Sophie were all out. Janie was globe-hopping, and Sophie and Rachel were both on time missions.

"Mom?" Pixie called out. "Are you there?" There was no answer, but Pixie got a text later.

_Don't pretend you don't know if I'm here or not, honey. Of course I am._

Pixie sighed. "Mom, I know you can hear me. Why do you text message in proper grammar, unlike everyone else who uses text speak?"

She only got another text in response. _Don't worry. Part of my plan is nothing to do with you. The building just seemed like a good place to hide out._

This did nothing to calm Pixie's nerves, but Carmen didn't make an appearance that day. But Pixie knew that however much Carmen would attack ACME, she wouldn't bring them down completely, because if she did, there would be no point in her life. And even if she was lying, she was still a mom, and while appearing negligent or malicious most of the time, she still cared a lot about her daughter. She would make sure Pixie would be OK in the end.

Or so she thought. Late that night, when she was getting the beauty sleep she needed for the hectic work she did, a hairpin opened the flat's door. The older brunette walked into the bedroom and looked down on her peacefully slumbering twenty-year-old daughter.

"Little Racquel, still a cute little pixie, even at this age." Carmen sighed. "I wish I didn't have to hurt you. But I have to show ACME why I changed, and you will have to help me. I had to lie in my texts, sweetie. I'm sorry. But I have to do this."

When Pixie woke up that morning, she had no idea that Carmen had been there and had no clue what had passed the night before. She still felt uneasy, but assumed that it was just the worry of the texts she had recieved when she got home.

However, just as she passed a dead end as she walked to ACME headquarters, a pale hand shot out and pulled her in.

Pixie began to snap at the person "Hey, what's with-" She realized the person who had pulled her in was a pale redhead with blue eyes and a scowl on her face, probably a few years younger than her. Pixie scowled back. "OK, what do you want, Polly?"

Sure enough, Polly Tix was the girl standing there. "Do you know anything about Carmen getting out of ACME jail?" she demanded.

Pixie shook her head truthfully. She knew some people suspected it, but no one else had voiced it yet. Polly still wasn't satisfied with her answer. "Do you know where she is or what she's planning?" she asked.

Pixie sighed angrily. "She's somewhere near the flats around the corner, where I live, she says. She could hear what I was saying yesterday evening, at least she texted answers to what I said. I don't know what her plan is."

Polly gave a sigh herself. "OK. Go on if you want. But if you're keeping info back-"

"Save it!" Pixie told her. "Just because you have a personal vendetta against my mom and she's been causing trouble for ACME for years doesn't mean I'll turn on ACME too! When are you going to get that through your policitally correct head?"

"What's wrong with knowing a lot about political systems?"

"Do I need to tell you how biased you've been against me?"

"Well, stop flirting with my best friend!"

"I'm not flirting with anyone!" The two girls were now yelling full scale at each other.

"Not even a certain Good Guide who invents all these brilliant gadgets?" Polly challenged.

Pixie stopped. She realized Polly was talking about Ivan, she'd have to be stupid not to see that. She'd admit, she liked Ivan, but just as a friend. She had felt something a little past friendship recently. But she didn't flirt, did she? "I don't flirt with him." she argued. "He's just a good guy. At least he doesn't treat me like I'll turn on ACME straightaway!"

Polly blushed at this comment, feeling a little ashamed. "Whatever." she muttered. "It's my day off, so I guess I'll see you some other time." She walked away.

On impulse, Pixie called "Wait!" She felt guilty about yelling at the Good Guide, who she knew had had a one-on-one run-in with Carmen. She didn't like being unable to shake the feeling, because after all, Polly hadn't been all that nice to her, but still, she decided to act on her guilt.

Polly turned. "What?" she demanded.

Pixie diverted her gaze to the ground, not wanting to see Polly's furious blue orbs. "I'm...sorry. I know what Mom's like, and I wouldn't wish her wrath on anyone. It's natural for people to be suspicious of me. I shouldn't be so annoyed at them."

Polly looked surprised, but she didn't say anything. She just turned and walked away, as Pixie walked on towards ACME headquarters, where she got her next mission.

"There has been a spectacular theft in Queensland, Australia." the Chief told her. "Someone has forcibly cut the cable cars on the Gondola in Cairns! We only have three days to retrieve them."

Pixie nodded and got her video phone. "You'll have whichever Good Guide is available on videophone." the Chief said. "Good luck."

Pixie summoned up a look of confidence and gave a nod before leaving the office.

The thief had gone everywhere and the clues she found were exceedingly cryptic. By the time she'd reached Jamaica, she was lost. She had to call on her videophone.

Rock's face appeared. "Hello, ACME headquarters. How can I-?" He broke off when he realized it was Pixie.

Pixie sighed, knowing he was awkward around her because she was the Sandiego daughter, and said "Hi, Rock. I'm in Jamaica, I've got only twenty more hours to find the thief and I can't figure out the clues. As far as I can see, the thief went somewhere where there are an 'exceedingly large number of churches'."

Rock sighed. "Ann and Renee are better at these types of questions. Are there any clues to flora and fauna in the country?"

"None." Pixie answered. "Just architecture and landmarks."

Rock gave another sigh. "OK. Well, from everything I remember, Europe used to be very Christian, especially from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, so it's probably somewhere there."

A crease in Pixie's forehead appeared. "Somewhere in Europe.." The crease disappeared quickly. "I think I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Thanks a lot, Rock."

After that one clue, Pixie got a plane to Paris, and found the thief almost immediately. And for once, it wasn't one of Carmen's group.

**I thought here would be a good place to end the chapter. Hmmmm...what is Carmen planning? Review and tell me what you want more of! Also, there's a poll on my profile about what you want more of. Please vote on that!**


	6. Chapter 5: Gossip

**Next chapter. I'll try to put more Carmen in.**

Life started getting better for Pixie around that time. People slowly began to accept that Pixie had been in the dark about Carmen's escape. Pixie even became friends with some of the other agents, and she was soon promoted to Sr Detective.

Even so, Pixie was still tense. She hadn't heard from Carmen since that one day, but she still knew her mom was around. But on the one hand, she didn't have much time to think about Carmen, because of all her missions. But on the other side of the coin, reminders of Carmen were everywhere.

Pixie had her worry forgotten once. Two weeks after Pixie had become a Sr Detective, Rachel came home, almost bursting with some kind of gossip. "What's up?" Pixie asked.

"Tell you when Soph and Janie get home." Rachel responded.

Sophie arrived home next, and it was obvious she'd heard something too. When Pixie inquired, she simply replied "Wait until Janie gets back."

Janie seemed to have her own gossip to tell.

"OK." Pixie said to her flatmates. "Spill. What's the secret?"

Janie smiled. "I'll say mine first. There's the word that Polly's really ticked off with you, Avril. She says you're flirting with someone, but I didn't catch who."

Pixie sighed. "She accused me of flirting with Ivan weeks ago. Yeah, I like him, but I don't flirt."

"My news is more than recycled gossip, but it's equally juicy." Sophie said. "Someone told me that she'd heard Polly has had a crush on Ivan since they were kids, but he never acknowledged it, even though she's been giving him the most obvious signs. Practically throwing herself at him, someone said."

"How come someone so smart be so dense when it comes to a flirting girl?" Pixie wondered.

Rachel giggled in an annoying way. "That's not the reason why he's not dating Polly!"

"Oh?" Pixie said. "So that's your news?"

"Yes, I know exactly why he's not with her now." Rachel confirmed.

"Why?" Janie asked.

"Guess!" Rachel giggled.

"Hmmm..." Sophie thought for a moment. "He just doesn't like her back."

"Well, yes, but that's not it!"

"He's gay." suggested Janie.

"You're kidding!" Rachel laughed. "It's obvious Ivan is a _boy _boy. How many straight girls like being engineers and inventing stuff?"

"That's sexist." Pixie and Sophie said in unison, then giggled, hooked pinkies, and said "Jinx!"

"What are you guys, thirteen years old?" teased Janie. "I didn't know people your age did that."

"You grew up in the wrong era, little girl." Sophie teased back. "When I was sixteen, my sister, who's now in her late twenties, did that."

"Whatever!" cried Rachel. "You still haven't guessed why Ivan hasn't taken any of Polly's cues!"

"Oh, it's obvious." Pixie said. "He's into someone else." Rachel grinned, and Pixie knew her surmise was correct. "Come on, Rach, who is it?"

Rachel's most annoying smile appeared. "I'll give you a clue; she's the same age as him and she's not a Good Guide."

Sophie sighed. "I'd have thought the most probable candidate after Polly would be Ann, but it can't be her. So, a twenty-year-old agent, huh?" She smiled. "It's obvious who it is."

Janie's eyes lit up. "Oh, I see! I always suspected it on the one hand, but never thought Mr Inventor would let it be heard first!"

Pixie folded her arms. "Could you three quit talking in code and tell me what you're on about?"

"You, stupid!" Rachel burst out. "He is totally crazy for you!"

Pixie shook her head. "No. No. Good Guides don't fall for the Sandiego daughter!"

"Well, this one has." Janie informed her. "You gonna ask him out?"

"No, of course not!" Pixie said quickly. "For one thing, Polly would kill me, and what if you're teasing me, or got it wrong? I'm not embarrassing myself!"

"OK." Janie said brightly. "I'll ask him!"

"Since when do you see Ivan?" Sophie teased. "Isn't Kim usually your Good Guide? I'll ask him, if you want, Pix."

"I'll ask him if I see him first!" Rachel offered. "After all, you like him too!"

"N-" Pixie began, but hesitated. She had recently felt shy. Ivan had been one of the nicest people she knew at ACME. Of course, he wasn't exactly the type that drew too many girls in. But Pixie didn't care. Maybe she did like him that way.

"Maybe I do." she sighed. "But I-"

But her flatmates didn't want to listen to her. They were determined to have fun with matchmaking, now that they knew that two people in ACME liked each other.

But all the girls in the flat, lost in gossip and matchmaking plans, had forgotten that they were being monitored by a mastermind criminal who just happened to have an ace up her sleeve for defeating ACME; her daughter!

Carmen smiled to herself. "So the boy that made the Chronoskimmer and the Translator wants to date my Racquel?" she chuckled. "This could work to my advantage. Especially as the little redhead will not be happy. Maybe I can remind her that it isn't wise to mess with the likes of Carmen Sandiego."

Pixie's flatmates stuck to their word. By chance, it was Janie who saw him first. They were both free for five minutes.

"Hey, Ivan!" Janie called, bouncing up to him.

"Um, hi." Ivan said. He'd never actually been a Good Guide to Janie, but he vaguely knew her. "Janie, right?"

"Yeah." Janie said. "Anyway, you know Pixie Sandiego, right?"

Ivan didn't lose composure. "Yeah. She's cool."

"And she's really pretty, isn't she?" Janie teased.

Ivan struggled to keep his cool. "Well, yeah. She's cute. Why?"

Janie smirked micheviously. "Someone told me you had a crush on her."

Ivan went pink. "Well..." he knew it was useless to deny it, what with the blush. "Yeah, you could say I like Pixie in that way."

Janie smiled. "OK, so why don't you ask her out? She likes you too, but she won't believe you reciprocate it until she gets the proof. What's wrong, shy?"

Ivan's blush was getting darker by the minute. Janie giggled. "Oh yeah, you're a guy. You're too scared to tell a girl you like her."

"No!" Ivan protested. "Well, maybe. But while it's not explicitly forbidden, ACME agents and Good Guides shouldn't really be emotionally connected, due to the fact that it may lower the performance of both."

Janie folded her arms. "Ivan Idea, just tell Pixie that you like her. We both know that both of you are mature enough not to let your feelings get in the way of your work. It's not like anyone, least of all the Chief, has to know anything about your life outside of work." The sixteen-year-old girl seemed more intimidating than usual at that moment. But maybe it was a good thing.

It was time Pixie got to hear it first-hand.

**Yes, we will have the extremely awkward love confession in the next chapter. Review, until next time!**

**I know people are reading this, since there was a story alert. I really appreciate it, but if you took the time to review, it would mean more. Pixie wants you to review. Also, Carmen would really like some appreciation for her efforts at being a world-famous thief. So do review, please!**


	7. Chapter 6: Dating Data

**Here I am, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you SO much for reviewing, vivaforever597. I'm really enjoying writing this, and it's good to know others like what I'm writing, too.**

It was a few days later, on a Tuesday. Pixie had just finished one of the more simple missions, but the crook had been especially taunting about Carmen. Then Carmen herself had hacked into the ACME videophone and calmly but sarcastically congratulated her daughter. "Don't lose your inherited smarts...you'll need them. I might see you around, even if you don't see me." Pixie was just about ready to legally change her name and dye her hair black. She was walking home, and was about ten metres away from ACME headquarters when-

"Hey, Pixie, wait up!"

Pixie turned to see the person that had called to her. "_Ivan?" _she exclaimed. She hadn't really believed Rachel's gossip, and Janie hadn't told her she'd talked to Ivan, preferring to sit back and watch until there was no chance anything would if no one intervened.

"Um, yes." Ivan said, not knowing what else to say to the other. He'd never been shy in his life, being a naturally optimistic and friendly guy. "Listen, one of the other agents talked to me. Janie?"

Pixie gave a nod. "The sixteen-year-old? She's one of my flatmates. So?"

"Uh..." Ivan's glance diverted to the ground. "Do you want to...um...hang out...some time? Like..."

Pixie grinned, starting to believe the rumour Rachel had told her. "You don't mean, like, a date?"

Ivan smiled gratefully. She'd said it for him. "Yeah. Are you free Thursday evening? It's my only day when I'm not working, and that's every _second _Thursday."

Pixie gave a million dollar smile. This smile was a little less like her mother and more of a smile that was purely Pixie Sandiego and no one else. "So that's why I usually see you once! It's because I'm allowed every Thursday off, although the Chief says if I get higher up in ACME I'll be working more. So where and when? Too bad the Chronoskimmer is only for professional use." she joked.

"What about five thirty?" Ivan offered. "Mystery destination. I'll pick you up. You live at the flats around the corner, right?" Pixie nodded.

"OK." she said. "But if it's Korean, I walk." Ivan laughed at her bluntness.

"See you Thursday." they said together.

"If I don't see you before then." added Ivan. Both laughed and went their separate ways.

Pixie nearly bounced the whole way to her flat. It only stopped when her cellphone beeped with a text. She looked at it.

_Text from CARMEN. _Pixie frowned and deleted the text without reading it. Two minutes later, her cellphone began ringing. She'd chosen it in her most depressed mood, so it was just as dark as she sometimes felt. "_She wants to go home...but nobody's home...it's where she lies...broken inside..."_

Pixie checked the number and recognized it.

_Calling: CARMEN. _Pixie scowled and turned her phone off altogether. Why did Carmen want to speak to her? Pixie had to admit, she felt a little guilty. After all, Carmen was her mom, and the only living relative she knew of. But Carmen was so against her career that she felt that it would be too hard. She knew that there were many generations, way before her, of people who grew up and did things differently from their parents. But while most parents would cut themselves off from their kid when they did things differently, Pixie knew that Carmen would try to stop her. But Pixie didn't want to be the type of daughter who was her mother's daughter. She would still be Carmen's daughter, and however hard she found it to be a Sandiego, she would hold up her head and be proud to be Carmen's daughter. She aimed to turn around the reputation around the surname. It was too late for Carmen, she was already set in her career choice. But Pixie was never going to let that happen to her.

When Pixie did at last get home, she could see Janie full of suppressed curiosity. "What do you want to know?" Pixie asked straight out.

Rachel was globe-hopping, but Sophie was there. She grinned, asking Janie's question. "Did he ask you out?"

Pixie gasped in mock shock. "You were watching from the window?" she said, then muttered to herself "Well, that makes three."

Janie had good hearing, in spite of plugging her earphones in all the time. "What do you mean, three? Did you think Rach was here? But anyway, Ivan did ask you out, didn't he?"

Pixie sighed and nodded. "Thursday." She avoided Janie's question, not wanting to let on that there was a very good possibility that Carmen had been watching her.

Janie bounced up and down with a squeal. "Wow, what are you going to wear?"

Pixie thought for a moment. "I was thinking my short denim skirt and my T-shirt – the one I won at the _Hairspray _premiere on the West Coast. You know, the really well-fitting one that says _The Nicest Girl In Town. _The sky blue one that has the name of one of the council kids on it?_"_

"Oh yeah! Which one are you?" Sophie asked.

"Shelley, since she's in the musical as well as the movie, unlike...Vicki, Becky, Darla, Noreen and Doreen." Pixie answered with a grin. "Why?"

"Cause we both really hoped you weren't Tammy." giggled Janie. "She's so catty."

Pixie laughed.

**Review, please! Pixie wants you to, and with Carmen being all mysterious about her plans, she needs something other than the date to cheer her up. The date will be next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7: Boyfriend

**Here's the date. Enjoy! And thanks for reviewing, green lion.**

Pixie spent Thursday morning worrying. She'd never stayed in one place long enough to date a boy, at least, until she was sixteen. But by then she'd become so rebellious that no one wanted to hang out with her. Boys wouldn't go near her, and girls would stare at her and her pink streaks until she gave them her most ferocious glare. How would she know what to say and do? She sighed. Why was dating so complicated? It was OK when she and Ivan were just friends. Had that much really changed?

"No." she thought. "Why does it get so awkward in this case? I'm just going on my first date with a guy I've known for months."

By five o'clock, Pixie was dressed in her skirt and T-shirt, with her hair washed and straightened, and was carefully outlining her blue eyes, which were a trait she had from the father she never knew. Finally, she studied herself in the mirror. When she was at work, she never bothered much about how she looked. She was about as pretty as Carmen was at the same age naturally, which wasn't model gorgeous, but just average. Maybe she was skinnier, but that was because she usually ate small portions of food.

At five-thirty, Pixie was visibly shivering with nerves. There was a knock on the door, right on time. Pixie jumped up straight away and went to the door. "Right on time, huh?" she said. "That's impressive."

Ivan had obviously dressed up a little too. He wasn't wearing his usual cap over his blonde hair and was wearing jeans and a T-shirt that looked newer than the clothes he wore when working. "Time is kind of important when working for something like ACME." he laughed. "Ready?"

"I've only been freaking over it for half an hour." Pixie answered truthfully, making both of them laugh.

They went down to Ivan's car. "You have a car?" Pixie exclaimed. "I don't have one. Not that I really need one, but since when do you use a car?"

Ivan shrugged. "I'm an only child and my parents gave me this on my nineteenth birthday."

"That explains it, I guess." Pixie muttered, looking melancholy. "But then I wouldn't use a car if it was from Mom."

"Well, I personally wouldn't trust Carmen over anything, but it's doubtful that she would give a car to someone she cared about if it was gained illegally." Ivan pointed out. Pixie thought for a moment, than nodded. She had to admit, even though Carmen didn't always act like it, she was her mom, and cared about her the way she should.

The date went pretty well. The place was Indian, which pleased Pixie. As for socializing...

"How did you get to be a Good Guide?" Pixie asked out of interest.

"I started as an ACME agent." Ivan said. "I was about eighteen. After a few months, I started to help invent things for ACME, just as a hobby, and I was actually better at inventing than I was on missions. None of the other Good Guides really dealt with inventions, and so many missions did. The Chief eventually suggested I train as a Good Guide, and here I am. So..." he looked nervous, but asked "How come you got into ACME detective work?"

Pixie smiled at the memory. "Mom had just been caught." she began. "I thought it was time I frequently caught up with her, and I kind of knew I had inherited her style of logic. I thought I better put it to use." Suddenly, she realized that it sounded wrong. "I mean, I don't see it as backstabbing my own mom. But it's all part of being her daughter, you know? Either you really look up to your adult role model, or want to turn out completely different. Besides, she's committing crimes. Someone has to stop her." She sighed, then. "But I didn't think about the consequences of working for something she betrayed. Hardly anyone trusts me."

"The Chief obviously does." Ivan was quick to point out. "Your flatmates do, and so do some of the other agents. I happen to know that at least six Good Guides have no suspicions of you whatsoever. Like me."

"What, you mean you cloned yourself five times?" Pixie teased. "But seriously, is that true?"

"I overheard Rock saying that he wasn't sure when you first joined ACME, but you'd proven yourself trustworthy, and Renee said you had seemed sincere when she first met you, so she'd followed her first impression and found she was right. Dee and Ann actually said that they didn't trust you at first, but they've accepted that you're not like Carmen now. Kim said she wanted to believe you were sincere, so she tried to act like she thought that, but she didn't succeed, but now she genuinely knows that you were the real deal."

"No luck with Polly, I guess." Pixie sighed. "I don't think she'll ever like me."

Ivan sighed. "Polly is stubborn in that way. She's so often right about people that she rarely ever changes her mind about them. But maybe she'll give in, since you haven't proven anything otherwise."

Pixie looked doubtful, but out loud she said "Maybe."

They arrived back at the block of flats two hours later. "It's not even that late." Pixie was thinking to herself.

"Um, so..." Ivan said awkwardly. "Do you want to...do this...again, next fortnight? Only time I'm free and all that jazz."

Pixie had enjoyed the date, and had a sort of feeling like she was in a bubble. She definitely didn't want to have to come back down to Earth, but if this is what it was like to fall for a guy for the first time in her life, maybe she should. After all, what harm could it do?

"OK." Pixie smiled. "Same time, but I'll choose the place, though, OK?"

"Sure." Ivan grinned. "I guess I'll see you then-"

"I bet I'll see you before then, even if you don't work as my Good Guide on a mission. I'll see you, even if you don't see me." Pixie didn't even realize that she was echoing Carmen until the words were hanging in the air.

Ivan didn't seem to notice the awkwardness. "Catch you later, then!"

Pixie smiled and went into her flat. No matter what happened next, the evening was fabulous.

**I'm planning on mixing the TV show with the computer stuff I've put in already. I've decided to make Carmen more of a sympathetic character, too. Just in case you don't know, my Carmen's life at ACME is more complicated than we know, and she really truly cares deeply about her daughter. Sometimes complications overrule reason.**

**Review! Pixie wants you to. Plus, Zack and Ivy will be in the next chapter, so I REALLY need a few more tips on their character, since I haven't seen many episodes of the TV show.**


	9. Chapter 8: LIVE  Carmen's Detectives

**OK, you will notice a blurred line between the computer games and the TV show now. By the way, this diverts a bit from the story, but these events will come back.**

Pixie was in ACME the next day, ready to take on a mission. The Chief wanted her to take on a world chasing mission. "I thought it would be best if you took on this mission without a Good Guide." she said. "There is a branch of ACME on the East Coast, and there is a duo of very talented agents that have retrieved objects Carmen has taken since they were thirteen. There's a new adversary in our midst that isn't connected to Carmen or her VILE group, but they seem to copy her tactics in many ways. They have recently stolen the original Treaty of Waitangi from New Zealand. You are to meet in Arrowtown, which is next to Queenstown."

Pixie nodded. "What are the names of the agents I'm working with from the East Coast?"

"Their names are Zack and Ivy." the Chief answered. "Ivy's nineteen and Zack is fifteen." Pixie froze up mentally, recognizing the names.

"_Zack and Ivy?" _her mind screamed. _"The same Zack and Ivy that have been chasing Mom since I was at school? The same Zack and Ivy that Mom knows so well (according to what I've heard about them) that they seem almost like distant family members I've never met or historical characters? They never caught Carmen – only agents from here actually jailed her, but the talented brother-sister duo...I can't possibly be working with them! How will they react to me – Carmen's daughter?" _Pixie was excited but unbearably anxious.

Out loud she simply said "OK."

The next day, Pixie was standing by her tent in the field where she was supposed to meet the famous agents.

Soon enough, she spotted a red-haired girl of about her age and a younger blonde boy. She went across to meet them.

"Um, hi." she said. "Are you Zack and Ivy?"

"Are you Carmen's daughter?" The redhead replied.

"How do you know that?" Pixie questioned.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Carmen mentioned she had a daughter a couple years ago. You're obviously the agent working with us. I know your last name is Sandiego, due to the information your Chief gave us. It doesn't take a genius, especially considering you have a similar face. And yeah, hi, I'm Ivy."

"I'm Zack, as you may have guessed." piped up the boy. "You're Racquel, right?"

"Actually, I go by Pixie." Pixie replied. "I think I heard of you two from Mom. So, there's a copycat out there."

"Uh-huh." Ivy said. "It's definitely not Carmen. Whoever it is leaves clues sometimes, but they're always straight. Carmen's clues were always cryptic."

"And she'd never send one of her associates after us without her presence." Zack added. "She knows when we're the detectives and makes sure she's there."

Pixie smiled. "You know, whenever Mom was around, she talked about you two a lot. She seemed to care about you. She says she enjoys the game where you chase her, and sometimes she only causes trouble because she wants you to find her."

"I figured." Ivy remarked. "Why else would she save us when we're actually in serious danger? I was about to fall from something and I wouldn't have survived if I hadn't fallen at the right time. Carmen actually wanted to help me. I didn't trust her then – it was early days and I was suspicious of why she saved us when she wasn't the one causing the trouble – but over time, I realized it was genuine."  
"Next point in order." Pixie said. "Find out who it was. Did you get the clue?"

Zack nodded. "It's a sculpture of Notre Dame with a note: _if you can figure out which cathedral this is, than come and get me. As if you'd know. Why does ACME send teenagers after us crooks?"_

Pixie slapped herself in the forehead. "They're the stupid ones. Guess we're going to Paris."

Ivy gave a nod, then got out her video phone. "C5 us to Paris."

Then a portal opened, sending all three to the place.

"Wow, this technology is awesome!" Pixie exclaimed. "How come we don't get this on the West Coast?"

"All the ACME branches are different." Zack explained. "The East Coast doesn't get Good Guides. Our CHIEF is computer-generated. Yours is real. Plus, you've got different technology." The trio landed in Paris.

Suddenly, Pixie's cellphone rang. She took it out and groaned, then she took the call. "This better be good, Mom."

"Racquel, don't talk to me like that." Carmen's calm voice sounded over the phone. "I heard you were on a mission and there is someone trying to copy me. Honey, do everything you can to bring them down."

"Right." Pixie said uncertainly. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm Pixie! Oh, and I thought you hated ACME. Why are you helping us?"

Carmen sounded amused. "ACME just needs to learn a lesson. But I'd never let a rival organization get the better of ACME. By the way, I hear you've met Zack and Ivy. Tell them I send my regards and I'll probably see them soon. I'll see them next crime."

Pixie scowled. "And I don't suppose you have any useful information about the group."

"No, listen!" Carmen said seriously. "The group is called LIVE, which is EVIL backwards. They've never been able to top me and my VILE group, but this is one of their attempts. Their clues are completely straight out-"

"Yeah, yeah, Ivy already said that, but thanks anyway. Bye, Mom." Pixie said quickly, and cut off the call.

The crime, all three found, was poorly executed and the thief was easy to catch. However, there was one good thing that came out of it. Because the crime was solved easily, Pixie had talked with Zack and Ivy, and they'd become friends. They were bonded because all three of them knew Carmen well, and they all worked for ACME.

"Well, two more ACME agents know what I'm really like." Pixie thought to herself.

**Like I said, it diverts a bit from the story, but I'm planning on Zack and Ivy coming back into play, and LIVE will appear again, although I do regard Carmen as an antagonist. Please review and tell me what you think! Next will be more of a songfic oneshot, but I decided I had to put it in.**


	10. Chapter 9: Fake Deal

**OK, let's get back to the Sandiegos.**

Pixie and Ivan kept dating after the second successful date. They, in fact, dated more and more, until it was whenever they weren't globe-hopping on missions or occupied at ACME. It didn't seem like any relationship that was out of the ordinary. They were a little more platonic than average, true, but that was because Pixie was more closed up.

At ACME they were completely professional. Sure, they acted as a couple, but when it was business, they wouldn't let any of their personal feelings get in the way.

It had been three and a half months since Pixie joined ACME when things went wrong. Pixie had been chilling in the flat on her day off. Sophie was out on a global mission, Janie was awaiting her next mission in ACME headquarters, and Rachel was working on a time mission.

Then there was a knock on the door. Pixie sighed. "Who the heck is at the door?" she muttered, but she answered anyway.

"Hello, sweetie."

"Mom?" Pixie exclaimed. She got over the shock of seeing Carmen and scowled. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you." Carmen replied, echoing Pixie's words from the day she told Carmen about her job at ACME. "Can't someone come and visit their daughter when she's alone?"

"Get on with it and get out." Pixie snapped.

Carmen ignored her. "So, how's work going? Have you caught many of my associates?"

Pixie scowled and replied "How has your life been going? Have you been rescuing people that went too far in their pursuit to catch you?"

Carmen seemed amused. "My East Coast detectives told you about the times I've had to help them, have they?" she chuckled. "Well, maybe ACME is worth a chance, after all. Which brings me to my purpose of coming here. Racquel, you're quitting ACME."

"I'm not. And I'm going to keep telling you this until you comply; I'm _Pixie!"_ Pixie nearly shouted.

"You interrupted me, honey. You can do me a favour, or quit ACME." Carmen said.

Pixie's eyes narrowed. "I don't have to do anything you say. Just because you're my mom doesn't mean you don't do illegal stuff. I don't do illegal. I do rebellion. So I'm not going to do either of your choices."

Carmen sighed dramatically. "I wasn't asking you to abandon your morals and steal. I was simply asking you to come after me next time I do a heist. I'll make a deal. If you retrieve what I stole, everything goes on as if it never happened. If you don't, you don't come after me or anyone else working in VILE, ever."

Pixie stared. "No, Mom! I'm not going to do that!"

"Zack and Ivy managed to do something much harder when I asked it of them." Carmen replied. "Right now they hold the rightful place as my heirs. Wouldn't you want to top my detectives? If you agreed, I would make sure you didn't get hurt. I don't let that happen to anyone I care about, whether they are tracking me or working for me."

"If I did fail, you would be letting me get hurt!" Pixie accused. "I'd fail at my job, most everyone at ACME would resent me, and I'd be back to square one."

Carmen smirked. "Well, I can't stop you with that, I suppose. But you should know by now that I never give up on what I want. And now I want you to play along with this."

Pixie thought for a moment. If she took the option with trying to take on Carmen for the first time, she'd only be doing her job. But she had no clue what Carmen would take. She was aware of some of the crazy things Carmen stole, and handling something like that on her own would be scary. She was close to being promoted, and the Chief was starting to give her missions without Good Guides. On the other hand, quitting ACME would just mean she had done exactly what Carmen wanted. Well, not exactly, Pixie amended in her mind. Carmen enjoyed the chase. But her daughter had no idea why she was being pushed to quit.

"Why do you want me to quit anyway?" Pixie asked. "You don't have a problem with other agents chasing you. You've had the same detectives chasing you and you know them practically better than you know me. So why are you asking me to quit and not them?"

Carmen smirked to herself. She didn't really want Pixie to quit ACME. She knew that she couldn't stop Pixie working at ACME if she wanted in that way. But what Pixie was saying was close to the truth. She'd been chased by the same detectives – East Coast, anyway – and she knew them well. Maybe even better than her own daughter. The thing was, Carmen wanted to test Pixie. She knew her daughter well enough to know that she wouldn't take the ultimatum and just do exactly what she had been doing. But if she got her calculations right, Pixie would have to chase her next time she pulled off a heist.

Pixie broke Carmen from her thoughts. "It doesn't matter. Fine, I'll play along if you want. At some point, the Chief will want me to come after you, and I'll do it. Now, do you mind getting out of MY flat?"

Carmen smiled triumphantly. "Isolation generates insanity. Until next crime, honey. Don't forget, you're still a Sandiego." And with that, the master thief was gone.

Pixie gave a sigh of relief. She was always tense when Carmen was around. Now, she'd just have to wait. What was going to happen? More importantly, how would she be able to work out where to look for Carmen?

**OK, now, that was interesting. Review, PLEASE! I do have a clear idea of the ending now!**


	11. Chapter 10: Carmen and Polly

**Pixie: So, anyway, SideshowJazz1 has got the crime worked out, but she wants to do something crazy afterwards, so this is a set-up.**

**Me: Pixie!**

**Pixie: What? I didn't tell them anything! I'm the main character here, so I'm allowed to say that.**

**Me: Do you want to deal with Carmen now or later, so you can work out what to do? Or should I just kick you out of ACME now?**

**Pixie: …**

**Me: That's what I thought. Yes, this is filler. Oh, and I didn't realize, I never did a disclaimer, did I?**

**Pixie: SideshowJazz1 does not own anything in the "Carmen Sandiego" franchise, whether it be the TV shows or the computer games.**

Pixie worried after Carmen's visit. What had Carmen meant about not forgetting her roots? She knew her surname was Sandiego, but how did that connect to anything? If anything, it made her life a heck of a lot harder.

"_Why did my mom have to be a famous criminal?" _she thought self-pityingly, then thought "_Come on, Pixie! Snap out of it! Self-pity is not going to help!"_

She had no idea when Carmen would choose to commit her heist. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a month. It wasn't like people hadn't noticed her increased silence. Her flatmates noticed the lost bounce in Pixie's every move and word straightaway.

"Are you OK?" Sophie had asked more than once.

"Yes, I'm fine." Pixie would reply quickly. If anyone asked her afterwards, she'd ignore them.

The next time she saw Ivan (which was when they were both at ACME headquarters a couple days later). He immediately noticed his girlfriend's more subdued and moody air. "Pixie, what's up?" he asked in his usual friendly tone, looking concerned.

"Nothing." Pixie lied.

"Look, Pixie, I can tell something's up with you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it could help."

Pixie gave a sigh. "OK, maybe something's happened, and maybe my mom's at her worst, but it definitely wouldn't help to broadcast." She ended up admitting "Mom's being her usual self." but she wouldn't say anything else. She kept herself to herself for the next few weeks.

There was one person who guessed what was up with Pixie. On the Monday after Carmen's proposition, Pixie found herself being pulled out of ACME headquarters and forced to face the facts.

"So what's Carmen's plan?" Polly Tix demanded.

Pixie stared at her, baffled, and replied honestly "I don't know. How do you know she's talked to me?"

"You've been acting weird." Polly replied. "It was pretty obvious. Tell me!"

"Um. She wanted me to chase her on her next mission." Pixie replied. "She said that either I do that or quit ACME. I don't know what she's doing. I think that she wants me to be useless to ACME where she's concerned. She says that if I can retrieve the stuff she takes next time she'll leave me alone, but if I don't I can't go after anyone in VILE."

Polly scowled. "Typical Carmen. What does she want?"

"I don't know." Pixie sighed. "So you believe me, and what should I do?"

Polly gave a frustrated sigh, for the first time seeming something other than distrustful, jealous or angry towards Pixie. "If there's one thing I've learned about Carmen over the years, it's that she doesn't stop at anything. Not chasing her enables her to do whatever she wants, but she really gets the fun out of ACME agents going after her. The only time she ever stole because she wanted something to put to use was when she tried to destroy her history as an ACME agent. Your only choice is to do what she says, I suppose. I wouldn't want to cross her. Not again..." she shuddered.

"What?" Pixie asked, her curiousity rising against compassionate reason. "What happened?"

"It's nothing." Polly muttered. "I was still in school, and Carmen had been able to escape some of the most talented agents, so the Chief thought of me. I don't know, I got to her, but she somehow knew I was there. I remember her saying something about it being time ACME sent agents her age after her. 'I can't help feeling guilty that I have to slow down a kid', she was saying, or something of that type. I wasn't sure whether she was being sincere or not. Then she sent five of her thug-like people after me. I was locked in an abandoned exhibit in a museum in Greece for weeks, with no communication means. But then Carmen herself actually let me out. But I'd kind of lost the courage to face her again, alone. It was something she really wanted, otherwise she'd have let me chase her. Maybe I just got too close for her. I don't know..."

Pixie stared. "I knew that Mom could do some insane things – she wouldn't have survived if she couldn't – but why would she lock you up and just let you go? My guess is that it was a threat to what would happen if you get that close again...alone. Thank you for telling me."

Polly gave a serious nod, and fixed her eyes on the ground. "Don't think this means anything. I trust you're not going to betray ACME, and I'm sorry I kept saying you were a young Carmen, but you took the only guy I've ever felt anything for."

Pixie's face softened. "I'm sorry about that, but it wasn't my intention. Look, I first need to deal with the Mom thing, then I'll see what I can do. I guess I'll see you around if I survive this, whenever Mom decides to launch this case."

A small smile appeared on Polly's face. "Don't worry about not surviving. If there's one positive thing I can say about Carmen, it's that she would never harm an ACME agent. Yes, she might lock you up, but I'd never think her to hurt someone. Carmen's not one for attacking people. I very much doubt she's start now, especially not on her daughter. And Pixie?"

"Mm?"

"Good luck."

**Polly: Maybe her own daughter will teach her a lesson.**

**Me: Maybe. Pixie's mission will be up next! Review, please! Pixie really wants you to. C'mon, don't disappoint Carmen's daughter and review!**


	12. Chapter 11: Mission

**Carmen: I have now committed an essential crime. I am in control of my life, because now I can decide what happens! I stole SideshowJazz1's laptop! OK, now-**

**Me: Carmen Sandiego, you should be above a theft like this! You're better than that, and you know it! Pixie, over here right now!**

**Pixie: Mom, are you aware you're going to throw our lives out of whack if you do that?**

**Me: Right, Pixie! If I don't write this, there was no point in bringing the TV show into the story. Carmen, give the laptop back and let me get on with writing this thing. *Starts typing***

Carmen waited for two weeks, and by than, Pixie had been ranked high, one of the highest ranks in ACME. Then the Universal Studio's rollercoaster carts for the _Simpsons _Ride mysteriously disappeared, and Pixie was put on the case. She first went to the scene of the crime, to ask around. She found out that the culprit was a tall female with brown hair. She knew straightaway it was Carmen.

"Why would she take rollercoaster carts?" she muttered to herself. She looked for clues, and there was one she found, left in the room where the riders were given an introduction before the ride, with a safety video. She could hear Dan Castenella's (Homer Simpson's) recorded voice in the next room, where the cart would be. "All the seats are the same except the seats that are better than the other seats. I'm gonna make a stupid noise until everyone sits down!"

A recorded scream and sound of a splash sounded over the introductory video, where Lisa Simpson was scowling and saying something confidently and angrily.

"Hmmm...theme parks, splash..." Pixie mused. Her eyes lit up. "A Log Flume! Or at least something with a water slide at the end." She looked up log flumes, and her face fell. "There's one in nearly every theme park in the world!" She looked again. "Cartoons?" She checked again. "Hmmm...there's Disney Land, Disney World, and Movie World." She looked up the cartoon artists for the Simpsons and voice actors. "Uh-huh...so Nancy Cartwright has worked for Nickelodeon and Warner Bros, and Dan Castenella did a voice in a _Disney _sequel. Kelsey Grammer was in _Toy Story 2..." _she then got a message from her Chief.

"Detective, the animatronics from the Looney Tunes mini log flume in Movie World have vanished."

"I'm on it." Pixie said. She'd already worked it out. "Taking me for a ride." Pixie muttered under her breath. "It sucks." Another thought occurred to her. "Why is she making this so easy? Everything's clearly connected." She voyaged to Queensland, Australia and reached the Gold Coast, ready to look for a clue. It came in the form of a snapshot from the Disney film _Cinderella, _of the castle. On the back was written _At least I know your favourite childhood movie._

Pixie understood Carmen's clue straightaway. Her favourite childhood movie wasn't actually _Cinderella, _it was _Sleeping Beauty (_she liked the fairy Merryweather and the ballet music used in the film was beautiful). She checked out 'Disney, _Sleeping Beauty_'s castle. She knew that some of the Walt Disney theme parks had Cinderella and others had Sleeping Beauty.

"Hm." she looked. "OK, so only Disney_world _has Princess Aurora's castle. Looks like I'm heading to Florida." Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her, and she whipped around, then recognized the person. "You're not getting me." she said tauntingly, getting just out of the VILE agent's reach. "You really aren't that smart, are you?"

"It's all very well to say that." the agent snarled. "But it's not me you're up against. Carmen's putting the last phase of her plan into action, and we don't need you getting to the scene until we have the surprise all ready for you."

Pixie smirked, making her look like Carmen for a moment, and gracefully made her break for it. "I don't like surprises." she called over her shoulder. The agent chased her, but Pixie hadn't been accepted into ACME for nothing. She'd gone on so many adventure courses and worked as a demonstrator on a high ropes course as a part-time job when she was a teenager, so she was fast and fearless. She was quick to punch him to the ground and knock him out, then leaving him just so she could get through her mission.

The minute Pixie found herself in the original Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida, she immediately could tell something was out of place. She sped towards where the Sleeping Beauty castle was, but everyone else seemed to be trying to avoid it. She could hear her mom's name being spoken, and one person even told her "The police and security guards are there at the moment. I heard Carmen Sandiego was up there."

"ACME business." Pixie answered brusquely. "I'm working against her." And with that, she kept running, as a segment of the Sleeping Beauty castle was pulled up by a familiar red plane. Pixie had a few inventions up her sleeve, though. She shot her grappling hook into the air, and wonder of wonders, it caught onto the castle. Pixie hooked her limbs around the strong rope, and climbed up it, carefully and deliberately.

The minute she reached the castle, she didn't bother to put the hook back, but she pulled up the rope, not wanting anyone else to try and climb up. However, her concentration made her forget to be on her guard while on the castle.

Just as she finished pulling the rope up, she heard a call of "Now!" and before Pixie could react, a muscly arm pulled both of hers together behind her back and spun her around. Two other hands grasped her shoulders. Pixie struggled, but for all her smarts and quickness, she was still slim and brute force wasn't in her profile.

"You made it, I see." Carmen smirked at her daughter. "That's good. I was wondering what had happened to you."

"Mom, why are you doing this?" Pixie suddenly demanded. "You made it easy on purpose so you could get me here. Are you trying to make it harder on me than you do on anyone else who chases you by confusing me, or do you actually want to make it easy?"

A look of surprise appeared on Carmen's face. "Why would I make it easy? Life isn't easy, Racquel, and you know it."

"It's _PIXIE_!" Pixie screamed.

Carmen ignored her daughter's outburst yet again. "I'm sure, that since my henchmen have found you, that you know the answer. I thought you'd enjoy the ride."

Pixie scowled. "So it's a trap?"

Carmen shook her head. "I didn't see it that way. I'm not going to lock you up. I thought we could go on the ride together. Neither of us have gone on that type of ride before."

Pixie rolled her eyes before saying "Actually, Mom, I've been to Universal Studios before, when I was eighteen, and I went on the Simpsons Ride. You left me some treat money for anything I wanted when you were out on another round of your illegal game with Zack and Ivy."

Carmen shrugged. "Even so, I'd thought about what you said about me knowing those two better than you. Do you really think I don't care about you?"

Pixie wasn't listening. "Whatever, I don't care, let's just get on the freaking ride."

"Certainly." Carmen answered. She looked at the henchmen holding Pixie in place. "You can let her go. I'll handle it." The two VILE henchmen obeyed, and before Pixie could react, Carmen pulled her along to the opening in her makeshift 'ride'. "I took a recording from the cartoons on the Simpsons Ride and knew no one would notice." she added. "The Looney Tunes animatronics just make it a little more...interesting."

Sure enough, Homer Simpson was yelling at them to get on the ride while an animatronic Bugs Bunny was doing the exact same thing. Meanwhile, Pixie formulated a plan to achieve her means.

**Oh, so what is Pixie planning?**

**Carmen: She's not going to retrieve this stuff, that's for sure!**

**Pixie: Maybe, but only if I throw you in the ACME cells!**

**Just review!**


	13. Chapter 12: Seizure

**OK, enjoy the next chapter, and keep telling me what you want more of! Oh, and I own nothing that I'm using. All Simpsons material goes to Matt Groening and all Looney Tunes goes to the Warner Bros.**

_It's like a nightmare, _Pixie was thinking as the animatronics chattered perkily in one ear, and Kelsey Grammer yelled "PANDA BEGS TO DIFFER!" in the other as Nancy Cartrwright and Yeardley Smith screamed. But as the cart moved, she waited to see a loophole. But Carmen was too smart to let one appear, so Pixie quickly moved to Plan B. Before she could put it in action, though, she began to feel strange, and her head ached like crazy. For one split second, Pixie was reminded of her medical weakness.

Pixie Sandiego was epileptic. It was a very mild case, and the attacks were very rare. So rare, in fact, that she and Carmen hadn't remembered. Pixie's last seizure had been when she was seventeen, and she was at school at the time. This was her first attack in three years, and it was completely unexpected. She hadn't been affected last time flashing lights had come her way.

Carmen felt her daughter convulsing, and looked at her in panic. "Racquel?" Pixie was in no state to reply, not even to correct her mother. Her eyelids were fluttering, but it was obvious she'd lost consciousness. Carmen's mind flashed back to Pixie's first sign of epilepsy, when she was only three. She'd only had five epileptic attacks in all, during her twenty years and four months of life. Carmen had only been present for the first one (Pixie's second was when she was seven, after Carmen quit ACME), so it was no wonder she had forgotten, really. But now it came back to her.

"Oh no!" she gasped. Then she called to her henchmen "Stop the ride! Quickly! And someone, call the nearest Orlando Hospital! My daughter has had a seizure!"

While the ambulance arrived, Carmen ordered the gentlest member of VILE there to keep an eye on her daughter while she disguised herself. She couldn't let anyone know that she was Carmen Sandiego, not when she wasn't stealing.

"Her name is Racquel Daigosen." Carmen told the paramedics in the ambulance. "She had a seizure while on a ride."

"And you are?" One of the medics asked.

"Her half-sister." Carmen lied. She couldn't risk using any real details apart from Pixie's first name. Even though she herself was in shock, suddenly realizing what she'd done, she was still able to remember everything important.

Pixie had soon been treated. She woke up three hours later, and Carmen had stayed with her for the whole time. "Mom?" she whispered. Her voice was slurred.

"I'm here, honey." Carmen said. "I'm sorry, I didn't remember that you had epilepsy. I think you're right. I don't know you as well as I should."

"I..." Pixie's voice slowly became clearer. "I forgot too. My head aches."

"It's an after-effect." Carmen told her. "Now listen." Carmen suddenly turned strict mom on Pixie, something she'd stopped doing since Pixie had become an adult. "Although you obviously don't think I act like it, I am still your mother, and I can be responsible. I don't want you to be working for ACME if you go on any more lone missions. And-" she held up a vial. "You've at last got medication for it. Did you tell anyone at ACME about your medical complications?"

Pixie hadn't, actually. It had slipped her mind, just like Carmen. "No, Mom. I didn't remember. And I didn't retrieve the stuff you stole." She managed to smile. "I will, though, just you wait."

"Well, you're in no condition to do it now." Carmen answered. "And I've got a confession to make. I was never planning to go through with what I said. I was so sure you'd be able to do it. I just wanted to test you on it. Afterwards, I would have given you harder clues on other missions, just to see how well you could follow me."

"If I hadn't been able to this time?" Pixie challenged, her voice becoming stronger.  
"I don't know." Carmen said. "Under the circumstances, I've decided I enjoy the game too much to go through with it. However, I can't let you work on your own. If I can just hack into ACME technology and give them the message..."

Pixie scowled. "Are you telling them I'm in hospital too? Make me seem weak, why don't you."

Carmen gave an exasperated sigh. "You just had a seizure. Did you think I was going to let you get hurt?"

Pixie was back at ACME within a week, and the Chief immediately called her up.

"We have had a message from Carmen." the Chief explained. "She has told us that you are epileptic and that you had a seizure while chasing her. Is this true?"

"Yes." Pixie admitted. "I forgot to mention it. My seizures are so occasional. This was only my fifth one. My last one was back when I was seventeen."

"Carmen has also expressed that you may remain at ACME, but only if you have someone else working with you at all times. I am inclined to agree with her, that is if you wish to remain working as an agent."

"Well..." Pixie said hesitantly. "That is something I would like to talk to you about. I have liked working here, but I think that some of it was a mistake. I don't think everyone likes me, and some really don't. I was wondering if I could be relocated to the East Coast. I worked really well with Zack and Ivy that time."

The Chief looked thoughtful. "Are you sure about this, Racquel? You've been an invaluable agent here. It wouldn't change much, of course, but you'd have to move."

"I feel that I would be better off working in a different atmostphere." Pixie explained. "I'd miss some of the friends I've made here, but it just feels...right." Pixie was telling the truth. It may have seemed that it came out of nowhere, but Pixie had actually been thinking it over. She had sincerely liked Zack and Ivy, and identified with them more than anyone else. She knew people on the West Coast didn't like her, and the headquarters was full of reminders of her childhood. She'd lived on the West Coast before Carmen quit ACME, and for a few months afterwards. It was just too overwhelming.

"Very well." the Chief said. "I'll let you know what their Chief says sometime this week."

"Thank you." Pixie said.

**Ivan: Hey, does this mean I'm losing Pixie?**

**Polly: Why won't you give me a try?**

**Me: Pixie isn't right for you, Ivan! You're a really nice guy, but it just isn't working out. Now review!**


	14. Chapter 13: Transfer

**Time for the next chapter! Some fun will happen here!**

Pixie sought out Ivan the next day and told him of her plans. "I just don't feel right here."

"You've seemed really distant the last few weeks." Ivan said understandingly. "But what about us?"

"About that..." Pixie said. "What you said about being distant...I'm not sure our relationship is working out. I'd still like to be friends, though."

Ivan was a little hurt, but he didn't show it. "Well...if it's what you think is best. You're the first girl I've ever gone out with, did you know that?"

Pixie raised her eyebrows. "Polly really likes you, you know."

Ivan frowned. "Really? I didn't see that."

Pixie laughed. "Are you serious? Even ask her. Why don't you ask her out? She'd like that."

Ivan thought this over. Then he smiled at Pixie. "Well, that makes sense. I'll miss you, Pixie."

"I'll miss you too." Pixie said.

Pixie met with the computer-programmed Chief for the East Coast, who she found friendly, if a little hyperactive. They got Pixie's work sorted.

She spent her last week saying goodbye to everyone. A short while before she left, Polly actually sought out Pixie. "Did you break up with Ivan?" she asked.

"Um, yes." Pixie said nervously.

Polly grinned. "Thank you!" she exclaimed. "He said it was your idea for him to ask me out."  
Pixie smiled back. "It's fine. I thought you guys made a good couple, anyway."

_Three days later..._

On the East Coast, the brother-sister duo was paired together for Carmen's latest crime, as they always were, ever since Carmen tried to 'create' her own art with stolen pieces of famous pictures. "There is a new addition to our group!" the CHIEF told them enthusiastically.

"Again?" Ivy groaned. "First you pair me up with my brother and I never work alone, now there's another one?"

Zack grinned, not taking it the way Ivy had. "Lighten up, sis, this new one might be good to have around. Remember Stretch?"

"Whatever. And don't call me 'sis'." Ivy muttered.

Pixie appeared in the vicinity, and both agents gasped.

"Hi, guys." she greeted them. "Surprised to see me? Well, get used to it, cause I"m working on this turf now."

Zack smiled back at her. "Hey, Pixie."

Ivy managed a smile. "Hi. So how come you're working with us now?"

Pixie sighed. "I had a seizure when I was after Mom and she doesn't want me working alone."

"You're epileptic?"

"Don't rub it in." Pixie said in an annoyed tone. "It so rarely happens it completely slipped my mind, hence why I was able to go it alone at the time."

"That doesn't really explain why we need a third person to help us, though." Ivy scowled at the CHIEF.

"Well, sometimes you have been having trouble, since two people can't always apprehend Carmen at one time, therefore a third addition will help you get it done faster if you all take different courses of action that come to the same point!" CHIEF replied. "You all have different skills. Zack, you have the general knowledge that helps you communicate, Ivy, you have the skills that gets you to the right place at the right time. Finally, Pixie, you have the skills that Carmen has, which gives us an ace straight away!"

Pixie giggled at the bounciness of the CHIEF. "So where are we going?"

The trio were told the details of the case, and got to the scene of the crime as quickly as possible. Of course, Carmen had gone by then, but she'd left a clue.

Pixie proved to be a good addition to the group, and got into the analytical state of mind she needed for this type of case. Her life slid into a new routine, which wasn't even really routine at all, given that she was chasing Carmen. She was living in a flat very near these ACME headquarters, alone. She called or emailed most of her West Coast friends and associates frequently. But every two days, she'd be out on another mission with Zack and Ivy. She got to know them so well that it felt to all three of them like she was another sister. Although VILE was the only organization that gave ACME trouble steadily, LIVE was still out there and there were reports of them, too.

"So," Pixie said one day when the trio was free. "What do you actually think about Mom?" She blurted it straight out, because she was, after all, desperate to know.

"Carmen?" said Zack. "I'd actually want to be on good terms with her if we weren't chasing her. It's frustrating to know her, but it's also kind of interesting. Sometimes I even find it fun to chase her."

Ivy grimaced. "Are you kidding? She should really grow up and take responsibility for the stuff she does. I'd even say her daughter is more mature than her."

Pixie grinned. "I had to grow up fast." she explained. "Mom was still at ACME when I was born, and I think she found it hard to do something mentally challenging that wasn't connected to ACME. She tried to spend time with me, I think, but she didn't get to. She usually left me with one of her associates from VILE. I didn't even know she was a master criminal until I was seventeen."

Pixie was happy to be in this position in her life. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but what was? Besides that, she had good friends, a 'family' of sorts, and a job that she was happy with. Working with ACME had done it for Pixie. She was the enchanted girl that could do all she wanted. Best of the best, even though they were on different sides, Pixie was getting to know Carmen better than she ever did. Everything was at last, starting to fall into place.

**Well, we've only got an epilogue left. I am feeling so sad! I don't want to let go of Pixie. Crying uncontrollably. Suddenly stops* Oh yeah, review, or I'll be crying for the rest of this story.**


	15. Epilogue: Daughter

**Me: Well, OK, I'm back for the last chapter, but there's a little bit left.**

**Pixie: Well, what's going to happen?**

**Me: Uh...you chase Carmen with the others?**

**Ivy: So what's new?**

**Me: That's the point! Disclaimer, please!**

**Zack: I'll say it. SideshowJazz does not own anything related to Carmen Sandiego except for this story and Pixie.**

_Three years later..._

"So Mom, how does it feel to be arrested again?" Pixie asked with a smile. She was now twenty-three and very different. She'd let her roots grow out and cut her hair short until the chocolate waves of her natural hair were back. "I never thought I'd miss my brown hair, but I did." she confided to her friends.

Carmen had been caught after three years, and now they were driving up to the ACME jail. She hadn't liked it, but she managed a smile. "How does it feel to be upstaged by my daughter?" she replied. "You three are all good detectives, but I hadn't expected you to ever arrest me." Pixie was the only one in the back with Carmen, there because she wanted to talk to Carmen. It was only her and the other two. Ivy was driving and Zack was in the passenger seat.

"Like it hasn't happened before." teased Pixie. "Anyway, we're heading back up to the cells in LA. I'll probably get to see the old group." She had definitely undergone a change in the last few years. She'd never been on such friendly terms with Carmen. They may have been adversaries, but this mother and daughter hadn't ever been as close as they were now.

"Anyway," Pixie continued, "I'm glad I got to talk. Speaking of the old group, there's a certain Good Guide I wanted to ask you about."

Carmen knew who she was talking about. "You mean the one who looks like Ivy with blue eyes? What was her name again?"  
"Polly Tix." Pixie answered. "How come you locked her up for weeks?"

Carmen sighed. "I was a lot younger, and a lot less moralistic. Having quit ACME only six years before...I was concentrating on winning more than challenging myself. I should really have apologized to her, but I had things to do, objects to steal, so I didn't have time to explain myself to ACME."

Pixie nodded. "Uh-huh."

When they got to the headquarters, Pixie was able to go talk to her friends that were off duty. All Pixie's ex-flatmates had changed. Rachel had risen through the ranks and at eighteen, she was already a Super Sleuth, as was Sophie. Janie was the biggest surprise. After a couple more years at ACME, she'd trained enough and become a Good Guide! At the time, she was one of the youngest, though older than the youngest ever. Rachel was on a global mission at the time, but Sophie and Janie were free, so Pixie got to talk with them.

"So what are the other detectives like?" Janie asked curiously.

"They're cool." Pixie answered. "Ivy could be a stuntwoman if she wanted to be. She is totally committed to the job and seriously cool. And Zack's really smart and sunny-natured."

Sophie smiled. "Ivy sounds a lot like you, actually."

Pixie shrugged. "Probably a lot of girl detectives are. I can see Mom being like that when she was younger."

Pixie's tone when she mentioned Carmen was much more casual than it had been years ago. She'd tried to avoid the subject, but when she hadn't, she'd tried too hard to sound regular. Now it was obvious that she took it a lot more easily that she was always working against ACME.

More and more people that were awaiting missions had stopped and were listening, now.

"So what's new with you?" Pixie asked.

"Not much." Janie said. "Kim stopped working as a Good Guide full-time," she said this quietly "and some new people joined ACME, but not much else, really. Now come on, tell us about you! Something's happened between you and Carmen! Don't deny it. Come on, tell!"

Pixie blushed a little bit. "It's nothing, really. Just that we see each other a lot more than we did when I was working here. I just have a better relationship with her."

Polly was also off-duty at the time, and she'd changed more than anyone. Her short red hair was much longer, and she looked a lot more peaceful than she had years ago, although she was just as emotional.

"Hey, Pixie!" she greeted the agent. "How's it going?"

"Um, hi. It's OK. You?" Pixie answered.

"Brilliant, like seriously. It's great!"

Pixie nodded. "Oh, Mom told me something about that thing...you know, the thing years ago, with you."

Polly froze. "Yeah?"

"She said she was a lot less moralistic back then, and if she wasn't against ACME, she would've apologized."

Polly was thunderstruck for a moment. Then she smiled. "I did not see that coming."

When she was on her way back with the other two, she remarked on this. "It's kind of weird, that I have a better relationship with my mom, even though all I do is chase her when she's stealing stuff."

Zack and Ivy both laughed. "It's kind of weird, but I have to admit, I kind of see Carmen as less of an archenemy than I should." Zack admitted. "Maybe it's because she only steals for the challenge. She actually seems to care about us."

"What do you think, Ive?" Pixie asked. Ivy shrugged.

"She's kind of sensitive on the subject." Zack whispered. "I don't know why. Something about her not wanting to admit she knows Carmen as anything other than an adversary. Don't press her about the subject."

"I know, I know." Pixie whispered back. "She won't say anything if I persist." She changed the subject and spoke regularly. "So, just out of interest, when did Mom actually mention me? She first told me about you two when I was about seventeen, soon after I'd found out about her."

This time Ivy answered. "I was about sixteen, maybe seventeen. Ages ago. I never saw Carmen as a mom, really, but it's interesting. She treats you exactly the way she treats us."

Pixie couldn't help smiling. "I think she sees you as family, in a warped way. She mentioned you two so much that I felt like I knew you already."

"Wow!" Zack exclaimed. "How much did she say? I mean, not that we talk much, but all I heard was that you existed."

"Um, that you were both very determined, it was worth stealing to have you chasing her, something like that." Pixie muttered.

The other detectives didn't persist as they sped back to their home in ACME. But all three of them were thinking.

Zack was comparing Pixie and Carmen mentally, even though it wasn't really registering. Whatever they worked for, they seemed to both have the determination which got all of them to the top of their cause. After all, Carmen was once an ACME agent too, and the only difference was that Pixie was still an ACME agent.

Ivy doubted that Carmen would stay imprisoned for long. She never did. But her opinion of Carmen was bothering her. She hadn't answered Pixie, but she knew deep down that even though her confidence in everything never seemed to waver, it did when she thought about the way she related to Carmen. In a strange way, Carmen was like a role model to her. Not in what she did, but in the way she did it. She looked up to Carmen.

Pixie knew that Carmen cared deeply for her. That incident three years ago proved that. She loved Carmen the way a daughter should. And she wasn't afraid to admit it. She would happily admit that Carmen Sandiego was her mom.

She was Racquel Pixie Sandiego, and she didn't care who knew it.

**Well, that's the end! Sorry if it wasn't what you expected. Now, this is an idea I stole from Hammsters...speaking of which, if you've read "Lord Of The Flies", go there and read some of her fanfictions. You can find "The Fate Of The Boys" and "Love Story" in the "Queen Of The Savages" community. Now...**

**Pixie: So where are they again?**

**Autumn: Hi, Pixie! Nice to see you again.**

**Pixie: Hey, Autumn. How's your life going?**

**Autumn: OK, but I still miss Nessa and Elphaba, but then I always will.**

**Me: Hey. Now where's the others...**

**Katie: Waiting for me? I had something going on...**

**Me: Let me guess. Something with Jack?**

**Katie: …**

**Louisa: Ooh, Jack and Katie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-**

**Katie: Shut up! You know absolutely nothing about me and Jack!**

**Me: I do. I know that your parents were in the same house the first time you-**

**Katie: Leave it out! Can someone take the attention off me?**

**Crystal: What's the big deal?**

**Jeanne: Crys, leave her alone. My little sister did that with me when I was dating.**

**Carmen: All little sisters do that. Inez did it.**

**Crystal: All she did was start chanting "Seaweed's got a girlfriend" and we already knew that!**

**Jeanne: I love that scene! But I had fun chatting to Link at the time.**

**Me: Uh...why are we all just standing around, anyway?**

**Jax: You wanted us to.**

**Me: Thank you, Jax, now can someone say what I want?**

**Naomi: SideshowJazz1 owns nothing from the Carmen Sandiego franchise.**

**Me: Besides that.**

**Holly: Because my stories never got any of them, REVIEW!**

**Me: Holly, you did get a few. France got none. But yeah, review, please.**


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